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The Hill
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Ahead of Colorado River Day, US West lawmakers introduce bipartisan conservation legislation
Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) introduced legislation aimed at optimizing water management in the U.S. West on Thursday, the eve of the region's annual Colorado River Day. The Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Reauthorization Act of 2025 would seek to improve forecasting and measurement of water, with the goal of mitigating the impacts of drought conditions. The bipartisan effort comes a day before the Colorado River's renaming anniversary, when the artery took on its current title in place of the Grand River in 1921. 'In the West, water is everything — our economy, our communities, and our way of life depend on it,' Curtis said in a statement. 'This bill brings 21st century tools to one of the oldest challenges we face: knowing how much water we'll have and when,' the Utah senator added. The legislation would reauthorize and update the Bureau of Reclamation's supply forecasting program, which is set to expire in 2026, for another five-year term from 2027 through 2031. Among the key revisions are an emphasis on forecasting tools that inform interstate management, as well as a funding increase from $15 million to $32.5 million over five years. Noting that more than 80 percent of Colorado's annual surface water supply comes from snowmelt runoff, the senators stressed the importance of maintaining accurate measurements of snowpack — the amount of water stored in snow. 'You can't manage what you can't measure,' Hickenlooper said in a statement. 'Snowmelt is Colorado's largest reservoir.' Among the measurement technologies included in the bill are imaging spectroscopy, machine learning, integrated snowpack hydrologic modeling and other tools used to inform reservoir operations and interstate management. The legislation also emphasizes the need to enhance forecasting activities so that they 'are more responsive to changing weather and watershed conditions.' 'By reauthorizing this program, we're embracing new technology,' Curtis said, touting tools like airborne snow surveys and advanced modeling. These innovations, he explained, could provide 'water managers the clarity they need to prepare, allocate, and respond.' Hickenlooper echoed these sentiments, expressing his support for leveraging the technologies available to optimize accuracy. Doing so, the Colorado senator added, could 'unlock a better understanding of how to make the most of our water in an era of extreme drought.'
E&E News
7 days ago
- Climate
- E&E News
Reclamation weighing Colorado River flows
The Bureau of Reclamation is weighing whether it can send more than half of the Colorado River's flows to California and other Lower Basin states each year as part of a new operating plan for the drought-stricken waterway, Wyoming state officials revealed Monday. Members of the Wyoming Colorado River Advisory Committee on Monday discussed ongoing negotiations for a new long-term operating plan for the waterway at a meeting in Green River, Wyoming. The seven states that share the drought-stricken river — Arizona, California and Wyoming in the Lower Basin and Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming in the Upper Basin — have recently coalesced over a concept known as 'natural flow,' as they look to reach agreement before a November deadline set by the Bureau of Reclamation. Advertisement Among the key points that have yet to be settled, however, is how much water each basin can use annually and what must remain in storage in the reservoirs and to provide hydropower.
Newsweek
02-07-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Map Shows Struggling Water Levels Across Major US Lakes
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Water levels at some of the United States' largest reservoirs are well below average for this time of year, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). Lake Mead was 31 percent full as of June 29, with just over eight million acre-feet of water in storage, according to the data. This equated to 52 percent of the average storage level for this date between October 1, 1990 and August 30, 2020. This USBR map shows storage levels at major U.S. reservoirs on June 29, 2025. This USBR map shows storage levels at major U.S. reservoirs on June 29, 2025. Bureau of Reclamation Why It Matters Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the U.S. by capacity — capable of storing more than 26 million acre-feet of water, according the USBR. It is followed by Lake Powell, which is capable of storing 24 million acre-feet. Declining water levels in these reservoirs could jeopardize city water systems, farm irrigation, and hydroelectric power output. What To Know The USBR's June 29 data revealed that Lake Powell, situated on the Colorado River in Utah and Arizona, fared only marginally better than Lake Mead, at 32 percent of full capacity. However, this was just 49 percent of the average storage level for this date. In contrast, California's Shasta Lake contained more than 3.8 million acre-feet of water, reaching 84 percent of its total capacity of 4,552,000 acre-feet — about seven percent above its historical average for this time of year. This map shows storage levels at major U.S. reservoirs on June 29, 2020. This map shows storage levels at major U.S. reservoirs on June 29, 2020. Bureau of Reclamation Water levels in Lakes Mead and Powell were notably lower on June 29 this year than in 2020. According to USBR data, Lake Mead was 41 percent full in 2020, at 68 percent of its average storage capacity, while Lake Powell was 53 percent full, 79 percent of its average storage capacity. Meanwhile in 2000, Lake Mead and Lake Powell were 90 percent and 89 percent full respectively. This map shows storage levels at major U.S. reservoirs on June 29, 2000. This map shows storage levels at major U.S. reservoirs on June 29, 2000. Bureau of Reclamation What People Are Saying Sharon Megdal, director of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, told Newsweek: "Lake Mead is one part of the highly managed Colorado River system and Lake Mead's elevation over the past 25 years reflects inflows and outflows over that period of time. "[The last 25 years have] been dominated by lower annual natural river flows than those of the prior century. In addition, deliveries to water users in the Lower Basin, coupled with 1944 Treaty deliveries to Mexico, have exceeded inflows, causing significant decline in the amount of water in storage [in Lake Mead] since 2000." What Happens Next The states that depend on the Colorado River have been in talks to establish new water-sharing agreements by 2026.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zinke floats plan to raise summer lake level
Jun. 14—Congressman Ryan Zinke is calling on the Department of the Interior to increase outflows from Hungry Horse Dam in the hopes of raising the Flathead Lake's summer water level. Energy Keepers Inc., the company that manages the SKQ dam, predicted last week that the water level of Flathead Lake may fall 3 feet below full pool by August. If realized, the low water level would be "catastrophic," Zinke warned in a June 12 letter addressed to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. "Small businesses which only operate three months out of the year will be forced to close. Tourism will drop as water activities are not available due to inaccessible docks and infrastructure. And farms and ranches will not receive the water they need to bring their product to market," Zinke wrote. Zinke concludes with a request for the Department of the Interior to authorize greater water releases from the Hungry Horse Reservoir. The Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the Hungry Horse Dam, is among the agencies that the Department of the Interior oversees. The SKQ Dam on the southern end of Flathead Lake is primarily managed by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes through Energy Keepers. Inflows to and outflows from the dam must also comply with flood risk management objectives set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Though neither entity falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, Zinke urged Burgum to "work with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to reduce outflow from the SKQ Dam." "I understand the lake will not get to pull pool using these measures," writes Zinke. "However, if we can prevent it from dropping to catastrophic levels, it will save small business and local tax revenue that is sorely needed." In a list of Frequently Asked Questions posted to their website, Energy Keepers suggested that moving water from Hungry Horse Reservoir to Flathead Lake was unfeasable. The streamflow above the reservoir has been lower than normal, and the Bureau of Reclamation must consider obligations like flood risk and endangered species habitat above Flathead Lake's water level. As the statement from Energy Keepers puts it, "Hungry Horse Dam is not managed to provide a specific elevation at Flathead Lake." Earlier this year, Zinke re-introduced the Fill the Lake Act. The bill proposes keeping Flathead Lake's water level between 2,892 and 2,893 feet between June 15 and Sept. 15. Those levels are already codified through a 1965 Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but Zinke argued that additional legislation is necessary to prevent what he called a "another failure of management that leads to another catastrophically low pool." The bill has not yet been scheduled for a hearing. Reporter Hailey Smalley may be reached at 758-4433 or hsmalley@
San Francisco Chronicle
11-06-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
California's massive dam removal hit a key milestone. Now, there's a problem
Last year, after the historic removal of four dams on the Klamath River, thousands of salmon rushed upstream into the long-blocked waters along the California-Oregon border, seeking out the cold, plentiful flows considered crucial to the fish's future. The return of salmon to their ancestral home was a fundamental goal of dam removal and a measure of the project's success. However, a problem emerged. The returning salmon only got so far. Eight miles upriver from the former dam sites lies a still-existing dam, the 41-foot-tall Keno Dam in southern Oregon. The dam has a fish ladder that's supposed to help with fish passage, but it didn't prove to work. While many proponents of dam removal say they're thrilled with just how far the salmon got, most of the 420 miles of waterways that salmon couldn't reach before the dam demolition still appear largely unreachable. This stands to keep the fish from spreading and reproducing in the high numbers anticipated with the project. Other migratory fish, including steelhead trout and Pacific lamprey, may face similar straits. The shortcoming has opened a new chapter in the decades-long effort to liberate the Klamath River, this one focused on Keno Dam. It has also left some people frustrated that the dam wasn't addressed sooner, when the other dams were dealt with. 'It's too bad that there wasn't enough forethought,' said William Ray Jr., chairman for the Klamath Tribes, who represents the native communities in the upper section of the Klamath Basin where salmon haven't been able to get to. 'The fish could have gone a lot farther, and that was the whole point. … The job just wasn't done, far from it.' The $500 million dam-removal project, considered the largest in U.S. history, was overseen by the states of California and Oregon in partnership with tribes and environmental groups, which initiated the effort to restore the 250-mile Klamath River to its natural conditions. The former owner of the power-generating dams, PacifiCorp, agreed to dam removal to rid itself of the river's aging and increasingly costly hydroelectric operations. The Portland-based utility and state of California paid for the work. PacifiCorp also owned Keno Dam, but because the dam provides flood control, unlike the others, it was transferred to the federal government's Bureau of Reclamation for continued operation, as part of the dam-removal agreement. In recent months, federal, state and tribal officials have been evaluating Keno Dam to see what might be done to make sure it's passable for salmon. The possibilities range from rebuilding the old fish ladder to removing the dam. Making changes, though, will be complicated by the facility's role in regulating river flows, and it could be years, if not decades, before there's a permanent fix. 'Restoration is not a flip-of-the-switch and everything-is-fine endeavor,' said Philip Milburn, district manager at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, which has been contracted by the federal government to evaluate options for Keno Dam. 'It took hundreds of years for the basin to get to the way it is now, and it's going to take time to modify it to suit fish.' Above Keno Dam, where migratory fish haven't been for more than a century because of the dams, 350 miles of rivers, lakes and creeks are believed to be key for the struggling salmon population. Salmon spend most of their short lives at sea but they need freshwater to spawn. With the warming climate, the cold-water springs, higher elevations and nutrient-rich waters of the upper Klamath Basin are particularly important for reproduction, scientists say. The revival of the basin's salmon would be a boon for the commercial fishing industry and culinary world as well as for the many tribes that see the fish as a spiritual force in their communities. 'We haven't had the fish for a long time,' said Ray Jr. 'It harms the culture and the health of our people. We're becoming impatient.' New fish, but an old dam The apparent problem at Keno Dam became clear late last year, following what many federal, state and tribal officials considered an immediate success with the dam-removal project. The number of salmon swimming in the newly opened-up waters of the Klamath River, downstream of Keno Dam, was generally more than what was anticipated so soon. Roughly 2,000 chinook salmon were counted after the last of the dams was razed in August in surveys recently released by a multi-jurisdictional team of scientists. Sonar reports suggest the number could have been thousands more. The fish were part of the river's fall run, its most populous run. The salmon journeyed from the mouth of the Klamath River in California's redwood-filled north to the sunny rolling hills of Siskiyou County – a total of 190 miles to the first of the former dam sites. Beyond going the distance, the ability of the salmon to enter a new stretch of river hinged on navigating cloudy waters whipped up temporarily with the dam demolition as well as resisting the urge to stay in familiar territory. Salmon are built to return to their place of birth, though they sometimes 'stray' when it's in their interest. 'A lot of people expected it would take years for the fish to show up in these numbers,' said Mike Belchik, senior fisheries biologist for Northern California's Yurok Tribe, one of the primary tribes supporting the dam removal. 'That was wrong.' Coho salmon, steelhead trout and Pacific lamprey also have been documented in the footprint of the old dams. The fall-run chinook, once they got above the former dam sites, spawned either in the Klamath's main stem or in a tributary, such as Jenny or Shovel creeks, according to the surveys. This spring, newly born salmon began migrating to sea. (The adults die after spawning.) 'I don't know if the fish ran out of room or not,' Belchik said. 'Some of the habitats seemed fully occupied. But we're pretty stoked that so many went up there.' More than 500 adults were estimated to have gone as far as Oregon, with an unknown number making it to Keno Dam. At least a few were observed in the dam's fish ladder, which is a series of more than 20 step pools designed to help fish bypass the dam, but none were documented to have reached the top. While a lack of monitoring could explain the complete absence of fish above the dam, the challenges at the dam are unmistakable. One issue is believed to be a component called the trash racks. The vertical bars at the intakes of the fish ladder, which keep logs from clogging the passageway, were too narrow for salmon, an obstruction that federal officials at the Bureau of Reclamation have since worked on. But the larger problem, according to Oregon wildlife officials, is that the fish ladder at Keno Dam dates to when the dam was built in 1967 and simply doesn't work well. The openings between the pools where fish pass are too small. The gates controlling the flow of water are faulty. The ladder is located too far from where fish approach. 'To provide fish passage that meets current state of Oregon and federal fish passage criteria, a new passage facility would be required,' wildlife officials wrote in an evaluation of the dam in 2023. The Bureau of Reclamation confirmed in a statement to the Chronicle that it was working on 'fish passage solutions' at the dam. The agency, however, declined a request for an interview about the details of the work and the timing. Fixing the dam for fish While the Bureau of Reclamation's acquisition of Keno Dam last summer meant that the agency wasn't able to address fish passage until recently, at least directly, state and tribal officials say there were other reasons the issue wasn't taken up sooner. One was uncertainty about whether the dam-removal project downriver would ever get done after years of delays. Another was skepticism that salmon would make it to Keno Dam even if the dams below came down. Furthermore, the focus on the removal of the four dams left little time and resources to figure out what to do with potential hurdles upstream. 'There just wasn't the capacity to do everything at once,' said Milburn, with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. 'Now we're tackling the things that were sidelined during the initial project.' With two new grants from the federal government, Oregon wildlife officials have been tasked with identifying both short-term and long-term fixes for Keno Dam. The state recently received the first $100,000 of a $4.5 million grant for immediate repairs, such as making sure the trash racks on the fish ladder don't block salmon. State officials have also convened a group of experts to study and recommend a permanent solution over the next three years, with the second $1.9 million grant. The recommendation will be forwarded to the Bureau of Reclamation for consideration. According to the terms of the grant, the state-convened experts will evaluate such possibilities as constructing a more effective fish ladder at Keno Dam as well as dismantling the dam entirely, which could prove even more effective for fish passage. Oregon officials say any proposal that involves dam removal must include dam replacement, presumably with one that's more fish friendly, or building a similarly purposed structure, possibly an artificial reef to replicate what was on the river historically, as has been informally discussed. Maintaining the flood-control features of the 723-foot-wide Keno Dam is necessary to protect the area's farms, communities and infrastructure. The dam is located 12 miles southwest of the city of Klamath Falls, Ore. 'There are so many benefits from having that dam in place right now that I can't see removing it unless there is a very, very deliberate effort to make sure we're not causing harm to the economy and local folks,' said Gene Souza, executive director of the Klamath Irrigation District, a water agency that delivers supplies to growers in the basin on both sides of the state line. Souza and others have also pointed to the potentially huge expense of demolishing the dam and building another. A new fish ladder could be pricey, too, requiring a specialized, durable and high-maintenance facility, though no cost estimates have been worked up yet for any of the options. While Keno Dam appears to be the biggest hang-up on the river, the challenges for salmon are not likely to end there. Upstream is one more dam, Link River Dam in Klamath Falls. This facility, long owned by the Bureau of Reclamation, regulates giant Upper Klamath Lake, where the Klamath River begins, and provides water supplies for the agriculturally vital Klamath Project. The dam has a fish ladder that has been upgraded, unlike the one at Keno Dam, but salmon passage is not assured. Beyond Link River Dam, Upper Klamath Lake has been experiencing bouts of algae and poor water quality in recent years that could make fish navigation difficult. Above the lake, the Williamson, Sprague, and Wood rivers offer ideal habitat, but in the century that salmon have been absent, unknown obstacles may have emerged with human development. Restoration work in many of the basin's waterways, including reviving wetlands and reconnecting creeks, has been ongoing to help existing fish and improve water conditions as well as to prepare for the anticipated salmon. 'The last thing we want is a bottleneck in the upper watershed,' said Rob Lusardi, assistant professor of wildlife, fish and conservation biology at UC Davis, who has studied salmon reintroduction strategies in the Klamath Basin. 'I'm not saying that's the case… (but) anywhere we can improve fish passage is a goal worth pursuing.'
